India Bhaang

When the United States outlawed cannabis, the rest of the world followed suit, and as cannabis use is becoming legalized across the U.S., other countries are beginning to loosen their cannabis regulations, as well. However, the U.S. isn’t the only country with cannabis history. In fact, India has one of the most ancient associations with the sticky green herb — and the highs and lows of cannabis culture in the country are undeniably fascinating. Before the subcontinent reforms its cannabis law and legalizes the herb once again, here’s a quick history of cannabis in India.

The Sacred Herb in the Vedas

Archeological evidence suggests that cannabis was domesticated for human use more than 12,000 years ago, and likely the plant traveled from its native territory, on the Eurasian Steppe, across Asia, Europe and Africa long before written history. Thus, by the time ancient Hindu sages began writing the foundational texts of their religion, cannabis had become an important herb across India.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Vedas are a huge collection of texts that tell the stories, explain the philosophies, outline the rituals and generally share the knowledge of Hinduism. Written as early as 2,000 B.C.E., the Vedas include a section on sacred plants, which can be used in spiritual practices and medicine to improve the health and holiness of the Indian people. Cannabis is listed amongst these plants, described as a source of joy and a tool for liberating the mind and body. According to the Vedas, cannabis was gifted to humankind to help us attain delight and lose fear, and guardian angels live in the leaves of the cannabis plant.

Ancient Indians used cannabis in many different forms. The most common has long been a cannabis drink, called bhang, which was said to be the god Shiva’s favorite food. Though cannabis is currently illegal across India today, it is relatively easy to find bhang from street vendors and in bhang shops, which are licensed by the government not unlike Florida cannabis dispensaries in the U.S. Other methods of use include ganja and charas, which are somewhat equivalent to the modern hashish and smoked in a shared pipe called a chillum.

Cannabis in the Vedas
behemp

Cannabis and Colonization

Western Europeans became more familiar with cannabis consumption in India as trade with the subcontinent increased in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Portuguese were impressed by cannabis medicines, believing them to be remarkably effective at enabling labor, but the British were not so entranced. Beginning at the earliest stages of colonization in 1798, the British Parliament instituted a tax on bhang, ganja and charas with the stated intention in reducing their use — to little effect.

Nearly a century later, in the 1890s, cannabis consumption remained so rampant in the Indian population — and amongst British colonists, as well — that the British Indian government launched a wide-ranging study on the effects of the drug. Called the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report of 1893-94, the research was the first major effort to study the effects of cannabis in a rigorous and honest way. Contrary to British expectations at the time, the report found that most cannabis users were able to restrict their consumption to moderate levels; that addiction and injury from cannabis was remarkably rare; that cannabis does not inspire violence or other deviant behaviors; and that prohibition would be expensive, ineffective and potentially harmful to the Indian society.

ADVERTISEMENT

Chandni Chowk street food
gulfnews

Modern Marijuana

Unfortunately, few Western nations took the advice of the commission, and immediately following the release of this report, many countries passed stringent anti-cannabis laws. An international anti-drug treaty compelled India to consider outlawing the consumption and sale of cannabis and hemp products as well, but a review of the 1894 report by Indian researchers found little changed in the effects of weed and ramifications of banning it. Thus, the Indian Government reached a compromise with the other members of the United Nations: India would ban the sale and use of resin and flowers but permit the use of seeds, stems and leaves. Thus, Indians could preserve their cultural and religious traditions.

Today, ganja and charas remain illegal — but that could soon change. In 2020, the United Nations voted to remove cannabis from the drug treaty preventing its widespread sale and use, giving nations the opportunity to determine legality for themselves. No longer are countries following in the footsteps of the policies of the United States, and in the next few years, India could see major reforms to its cannabis laws to return the country to its ancient green roots.

India Bhaang
cbdtesters

ADVERTISEMENT